Community News

9 Chocolatey Valentine’s Day Cookies

Valentine’s Day and chocolate go hand-in-hand. As Food & Wine puts it, Valentine’s Day calls for aphrodisiac foods—especially chocolate. Here’s how to set the mood with these nine über-rich chocolate cookie recipes.

15 Healthy Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner: Easy and Tasty!

Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to practice healthier eating habits but you just don’t know where to start? Don’t worry — we found 15 healthy recipes that are easy, tasty and will get you set on the right path. Enjoy!

Champagne Jelly Flutes
A fun, bubbly drink that’s both dramatic and festive making it a perfect treat for the new year.

Fried Olives
Give the evening a Spanish flair with a selection of tapas, including fried olives, Manchego cheese and Serrano ham.

Prosciutto Bread
An easy-to-serve appetizer with store-bought French bread dough and slices of prosciutto rolled into a log.

Bellini Bar
The perfect way to celebrate New Year’s Day. Not only is it self-serve, but the fruit purees can each be made a day ahead so there is minimal morning prep.

Bourbon-Pear Star Pie
A boozy New Year’s Eve pie that combines both caramel and vanilla flavors in bourbon making it great complement to sweet Bosc pears.

Ibis Trail Holiday Hours 2017

Recipes for the Holidays 2017

Source: Food&Wine

Gifts under the tree aren’t the only things we’re looking forward to on Christmas morning. From glazed cinnamon rolls to a cheesy bacon and onion quiche, here are fantastic Christmas brunch recipes to warm up your holiday.

Christmas-Morning Casserole:
Chef Bryan Voltaggio loves this make-ahead dish: a classic baked bread-and-egg casserole with bites of pepperoni, mushrooms and gooey cheese. It’s as good for dinner as it is for breakfast. For the full recipe click here.

Kentucky Hot Brown:
Star chef Bobby Flay smothers an open-face turkey sandwich with cheese sauce and bacon for his version of the over-the-top Louisville classic. For the full recipe click here.

Open-Face Egg and Griddled Ham Breakfast Sandwiches:
F&W’s Justin Chapple poaches a dozen eggs at once in a muffin pan in the oven, making his cute and tasty breakfast sliders extraordinarily easy to prepare for entertaining. For the full recipe click here.

Coconut Pancakes:
For brunch chef Adam Schop sprinkles shredded coconut onto his pancake batter; when the pancakes cook on the griddle, the coconut gets nicely toasted. The finished pancakes get a layer of extra coconut before serving. For the full recipe click here.

Sausage-and-Maple Bread Pudding:
This fantastic breakfast bread pudding is a fun, all-in-one take on French toast with maple syrup and sausage. Melted ice cream enriches the “custard” base. For the full recipe click here.

Country Ham Flapjacks with Maple Syrup:
Using store-bought corn muffin mix and leftover chopped ham to make these savory flapjacks is a quick and clever trick. For the full recipe click here.

Cornmeal-and-Ricotta Waffles:
When Michael Mina was a boy, his parents used to take him to the now-defunct Four Seasons hotel in Seattle for Christmas brunch, where he always ordered waffles. “They were dynamite,” he recalls. This recipe is as close to the one of his childhood as he could get it. Cornmeal makes the waffles crispy; ricotta keeps them moist. For the full recipe click here.

Glazed Cinnamon Rolls with Pecan Swirls:
Baking these cinnamon rolls in big batches makes the effort worth it—they take time but are so satisfying. For the full recipe click here.

Bacon, Cheddar and Onion Quiche:
“To make a proper tarte flambé, you need a wood-burning oven with a stone floor,” explains Jean-Georges Vongerichten of the thin-crusted Alsatian pizza topped with bacon, onions and fromage blanc. Here, he folds those same basic ingredients (replacing the fromage blanc with cheddar) into a light custard and bakes it in a buttery pastry crust. “Not everyone has a pizza oven at home, so I decided to make it in the form of a quiche.” For the full recipe click here.

Blueberry-Banana Pancakes:
Tyler Florence made these pancakes at home one weekend morning with his son Hayden. They’re a slight variation on a recipe from his book, Tyler Florence Family Meal. For the full recipe click here.

Happenings at Ibis Trail

Hi residents! We have two un-boo-lievable events that you should mark down on your calendars.

October 21, 2017
Open House
Invite your friends, family members or even just someone you know who are looking to move to a wonderful location! Remember, if you refer someone, you can receive $400 off of your rent. (Offers stands for a limited time.) We would also love to see builders, realtors and prospects alike to stop by to tour, enjoy refreshments, snacks and lease away!

October 30
Pumpkin Extravaganza
On October 30, we’re getting into the Halloween spirit 👻 with our Pumpkin Extravaganza. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., come decorate a pumpkin with us and enjoy candy bags, food and beverages. (FYI – the best decorated pumpkin winner will receive tickets to the movie Tavern.) To RSVP, email stephanie@ibistrail.com.

Louisiana Northshore: Things To Do In October

2017 Walk to End Alzheimer’s
October 7, 2017
Fontainebleau State Park
http://www.louisiananorthshore.com/event/2017-walk-to-end-alzheimers/1841/

Trickin’ and Treatin’ at the Covington Trailhead
October 28, 2017
http://www.louisiananorthshore.com/event/trickin-and-treatin-at-the-covington-trailhead/1761/

Supper Under the Stars
October 29, 2017
http://www.louisiananorthshore.com/event/supper-under-the-stars/1850/

Louisiana Northshore: Things to Do in September

Louisiana’s Northshore has so many events and festivals happening year-round! From great food, art and music to natural beauty and endless culture, there’s always something to see and do! Here are a few things to put on your to-do list this month:

Friday, September 1
Chafunkta Brewing Company Tours
5 – 9 p.m.
Hear the story of the company’s founding and enjoy Chafunkta brews in 5oz, 10oz, 16oz and flights, keep the glass or take it TO GEAUX. For more info, click here.

Steve Martin’s “The Underpants”
8 p.m.
Playmakers, Inc. Theater kicks off its 62nd season of shows on September 1 with the clever comedy, “The Underpants,” a classic 1910 farce by Carl Sternheim, adapted by Steve Martin. The renowned comic actor and author of “Picasso at the Lapine Agile” provides a wild satire adapted from the classic German play about Louise and Theo Maske, a couple whose conservative existence is shattered when Louise’s bloomers fall down in public. Louise’s momentary display does not result in the feared scandal but it does attract two infatuated men— a foppish poet and a whiny hypochondriac. For more info, click here.

Saturday, September 2Covington Brewhouse Tasting Room & Brewery Tour
Tasting Room: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. | Tour: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Tour the 120+ year old building that houses the second-oldest brewery in Louisiana. Learn about fermentation and the processes of brewing in a close intimate environment at a local craft brewery. And, of course, try the beers on tap! For more info, click here.

Sunday, September 3Labor Day Music Fest
Come out to Land-O-Pines and enjoy a full day of music while shopping at specialty food and craft booths. Pool and water slide will be open, prize drawings during all band breaks. Bring your chairs! For more info, call 985.892.6023 or click here.

Twilight Paddle on Cane Bayou
5 P.M. – 9 P.M.
Celebrate your 3 day weekend with a relaxing Sunday evening paddle down Cane Bayou before lighting the grill this Labor Day. This moonless evening should provide an excellent opportunity to stargaze while peaceful gliding down the bayou with Louisiana Master Naturalist guides. Canoe and Trail Adventures’ experienced guides have provided daytime and evening paddles down the bayou surrounding Lake Pontchartrain for over 40 years. For more info, click here.

Saturday, September 9Mandeville Live!
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
The City of Mandeville presents Mandeville Live! Fall 2017. The Fall concert series features 5 FREE Saturday evening concerts at the Mandeville Trailhead in Historic Old Mandeville. For more info, click here.

Northshore Cajun Dance at Abita Town Hall
7 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Northshore Cajun Dancers “pass a good time” to Cajun/Zydeco music each month at Abita Town Hall located at 22161 Level Street in Abita Springs, Louisiana. The event includes free dance lessons with live music performances for a low cost of admission. For more info, click here.

St. Tammany Crab Festival
Noon – 10 p.m.
Enjoy two days of live Zydeco, Blues, Country and Rock music on two stages. Indulge in local cuisine such as boiled crabs, various crab dishes and other indigenous foods from Southeast Louisiana. The event includes a car and motorcycle show, karaoke, games and interactive activities for kids, and “Boat Rides on the Bayou,” short tours of Bayou Bonfouca with Capt. Dave of Cat’s Meow Fishing Experience. For more info, click here.

The Intimacy of Plein Air
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Plein air artist Peg Usner will be exhibiting in the Miriam Barranger Gallery. Her series of oil paintings captures the essence of her world. For more info, click here.

Thursday, September 14Scrap Dat 3-Day Scrapbooking Event
8 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Are you an artist, crafter, scrapbooker, or all three? If so, you would enjoy Scrap Dat’s 3 day event! Here, you can work on your projects, take classes to learn new techniques, shop with vendors, eat good food, learn new ideas, and be with friends or make new ones. For more info, click here.

Saturday, September 16Northshore on Tap: Home Brew & Craft Beer Experience
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Formerly known as “SeptemBEERFest,” Northshore on Tap, held from 1pm to 5pm, follows up on last year’s positive response about local home brewing by focusing on home brewing and brewers for the third annual festival. For more info, click here.

Pontchartrain Film Festival Film Tour: Forgotten Bayou
2 p.m.
The Pontchartrain Film Festival presents a fall film tour in advance of the sixth annual festival in November 2017, bringing award-winning documentary films to Madisonville, Abita Springs, Covington and Mandeville for special screenings. For more info, click here.

Friday, September 22Dew Drop Jazz Hall Fall Concert Series
6:30 – 9 p.m.
Traditional jazz and blues dominate the fall concert series at the historic Dew Drop Social & Benevolent Jazz Hall in Old Mandeville, starting September 22, 2017 and continuing through December 15. For more info, click here.

Friday, September 29Columbia Street Block Party
6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
This free family event features classic cars, shops and art galleries open late, live and DJ entertainment, and food and drinks. For more info, click here.

Saturday, September 30Bogue Falaya River Sweep
9 a.m. – Noon
Keep Covington Beautiful in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the City of Covington and Canoe and Trail Adventures presents the Bogue Falaya River Sweep Litter Clean up, September 30, 2017, from 9am to noon. For more info, click here.

Moonlight Paddle™ on Cane Bayou
4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Enjoy an evening with other paddlers exploring a natural bayou near Mandeville, La. Great social event to meet others interested in paddling. Average group size is 25 paddlers. For more info, click here.